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Google Says It Mistakenly Collected Wi-Fi Data While Mapping

Posted by timothy on from the just-accidentally-of-course dept.

Even if Google says there's nothing to worry about, newviewmedia.com writes, the company "said it would stop collecting Wi-Fi network data from its StreetView cars, after an internal investigation it conducted found it was accidentally collecting data about websites people were visiting over the hotspots. From the WSJ article: 'It's now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open [i.e. non-password-protected] Wi-Fi networks, even though we never used that data in any Google products.'"

4 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. Meanwhile Skyhook makes no statement by kindbud · · Score: 0, Troll

    Even though Skyhook does exactly the same thing Google is doing. But Skyhook created the location API licensed by Apple, so it's all OK.

    Amidoinitrite?

    --
    Edith Keeler Must Die
  2. Re:Hey, by sopssa · · Score: -1, Troll

    There's a difference between using an open Wi-Fi hotspot and doing a man-in-the-middle attack to collect data about what sites other people using the hotspot are visiting.

  3. Re:Hey, by Daengbo · · Score: 0, Troll

    Try using Kismet some time. You'll realize that either you or your UK laws are wrong.

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    Put identity in the browser.
  4. Re:Kismet Does This Automatically by bonch · · Score: 0, Troll

    Shouldn't the biggest internet company in the world know how to configure its network analyzer?